Staff Scientist

The NINDS Cell Biology and Biophysics Section, under Dr. Antonina Roll-Mecak, is now looking for a broadly capable scientist with strong technical depth, scientific creativity, and the curiosity to pursue new biological frontiers as part of a highly collaborative team valuing scientific excellence and rigor.

This Staff Scientist will:

• Play a critical role in guiding the scientific and training aspects of our research program.
• Help shape the lab’s long-term research directions and contribute to its overall success.
• Lead collaborative, multidisciplinary investigations into cytoskeletal regulation in the nervous system.
• Develop innovative research projects, design and conduct experiments, analyze data independently, write high-impact manuscripts, and manage the revision process to ensure the dissemination of significant scientific findings.
• Maintain core iPSC lines and viral tools.
• Optimize, develop, and share image analysis code and processing pipelines.
• Advance core technologies in the lab, including live cell imaging, analysis of cellular phenotypes with a focus on cytoskeletal regulation and trafficking.
• Apply genomic and molecular profiling methods, including transcriptome, translatome, and proteome, to uncover novel biological mechanisms.
• Utilize functional genomics approaches such as CRISPR-based technologies.
• Collaborate across the lab, fostering integrity and accountability.
• Ensure compliance with data archiving, laboratory safety, and scientific integrity
• Collaborate with other labs, both within the NIH intramural program and with groups at other institutions.
• Mentor junior researchers (including graduate students, postbacs, and summer students), often with the direct supervision of 1-2 trainees.

Prospective applicants should have a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences with a focus on cell and molecular biology and possess more than 5 years of postdoctoral research experience.

Candidates whose research focused on cytoskeletal regulation, utilized induced pluripotent cell models, high-resolution light microscopy, live cell imaging, proteomic analysis and/or in vitro reconstitution of microtubule-based processes are highly desirable.

Candidates should exhibit proven leadership skills in collaborative research, including the contribution to multiple projects, developing new initiatives, and conducting independent research. They should also have experience mentoring junior trainees as a means to foster trainees' scientific growth and professional development.

Lastly, candidates should have hands-on research expertise in the following areas: hiPSC-derived neuronal culture models, CRISPR-based genetic engineering and screens, disease cell and mechanistic cell biology, live cell imaging, microtubule dynamics regulation, generation of automated pipelines for image analysis, proteomics, and proficiency in R and/or Python.

Fluency in spoken and written English, with a demonstrated ability to present at conferences and publish high-quality manuscripts, is required.

The position is contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit, with no discrimination for non-merit reasons such as race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, age, or membership or non-membership in an employee organization. The NIH encourages the application and nomination of qualified women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply. NIH welcomes foreign nationals with the exception of individuals from this list.